We are happy to announce that we are celebrating the 8th anniversary of Street Art Tour Paris ! Founded in 2014 by artist and guide-lecturer Kasia Klon, SATP offers guided tours in the historic neighborhoods of the French capital such as Montmartre, le Marais, Belleville and la Butte-aux-Cailles. The objective is to introduce the public to the richness of street art through its history, artists and the diversity of its techniques.
Kasia and Sigismond during a tour in Montmartre @ www.streetarttourparis.com
After completing her master’s degree, Kasia left her native Poland for Paris. Realizing that the art she observes in the French capital was much more contemporary than she imagined, she begins guided tours to share with the public a more dynamic facet of Paris than the unmissable Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe.
Mr Byste doing a stencil at Aux Ours © Kasia Klon
Whether public or private, the tours are led by a small team of five guides and artists (Kasia, Siegfried, Mr Byste, Thom Thom and Marie) which sometimes allows the public to attend the creation of an artwork during the visit. The choice to form a team composed mainly of artists is entirely taken on by Kasia who thinks « that it is important for artists to exchange with the public to explain their works but also to see the reactions, get feedback and answer the questions. It can even influence and improve the work. I think I did something positive. I am grateful to see the public enjoying seeing the artists working during the tours. It is an exchange that everyone benefits from. I hope to continue to share these experiences and help artists survive and dream big. »
Thom Thom, London, 2022 © Artist’s Instagram @thom_thom_2000
Thom Thom is part of the long tradition of artists modifying and cutting advertising posters as well as French street art pioneer Jacques Villeglé. For him « The idea of theft or usurpation is very important. Giving and adding something to the street is nebulous while taking something from the street is a sign that there is “art”. Spending time on the street taking down the posters means investing them with a new value, while still wanting to keep them. »
Thom Thom & Chixcel, Le guide du Street Art à Paris, Alternatives, 2022 © Marie le Palec
One of the artist’s latest projects, carried out alongside Chrixcel, is the publication of the fourth edition of the Guide du Street Art in Paris which includes 8 routes and follows the previous publications of the blogger Wonder Brunette. For Thom Thom, « the challenge was to take up the paths set up by Wonder Brunette and more or less update them » because « It is interesting to understand how street art is both a cause and a consequence of a new way of thinking and exploring a big city like Paris. The Spot 13 (in the 13th arrondissement) is a good example. »
Mural made by Mr. Byste at Spot 13, September 2022 © Marie le Palec
Known for his black and white animals both dead and alive in reference to Schrödinger’s cat, (quantum physics’ thought experiment of superposition of states) Mr Byste is a stencil artist who began his artistic practice in 2017 by hiding leaflets containing coded messages in the catacombs of Paris.
Last September, Byste made a mural at Spot 13 on which we observe in a forest at night the decomposition of a cat’s jump in the manner of Muybridge. It was after the Black Cat exhibition in Montmartre that Byste began producing his static “Schrödinger cats” which can be seen in the upper right corner of the wall. For this mural, Byste wanted to « make Schrödinger’s cat more alive by depicting the cat race using 12 different stencils. The idea is to make people realize that the world is one big Schrödinger box and that all species are both potentially dead and alive. A hundred years from now, we will see who “won” and who “lost” among the remaining species on earth. »
Street Art Tour Paris’ team ; Kasia, Sigismond, Mr Byste, Thom Thom and Marie with artists Louyz and Ms Beja © Kasia Klon
To celebrate this anniversary, our dear guide Sigismond has gathered all the members of the SATP’s team at Aux Ours in Belleville. The opportunity for Mr Byste, Ms Beja, Louyz and Aimer to create works on the wall adjoining the restaurant.
Marie le Palec